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Banned By The BBC (Part 3)

Moral panic and political censorship have created a long tradition of records filtered out of the BBC radio playlist. Here’s some notable examples…

The Everly Brothers – Ebony Eyes (1961)
Ebony Eyes was in the tradition of the death song, and was for a spell banned by the BBC for that reason. Like sex, death was thought an unsuitable topic for impressionable young minds.

Barry McGuire – Eve Of Destruction (1965)
Due to its controversial lyrics It was placed on a “restricted list” by the BBC, and could not be played on “general entertainment programmes”.

The Pogues – Fairytale Of New York (1987)
On 18 December 2007, BBC Radio 1 banned the words “faggot” and “slut” from “Fairytale of New York” to “avoid offence”.